Pasture sprinkler system

[Equestrianette]

We are wanting to put a sprinkler system in our back pasture which is 5 acres. We grow coastal hay and we have had no rain whatsoever for weeks. My husband wants to run PVC pipe underground and make the spigot come up near the tree in the middle of our pasture. We could then attach 100-200 feet of hoses and attach a water gun at the end and just move the hoses around. We have full city water pressure of 165 ft psi so these pathetic water guns and sprinklers at tractor supply and Home Depot simply will not do But my husband seems to think these agricultural sprinklers exist for cheap, but I’ve only seen them for $200 and up and even that’s only 120ft diameter.

Is this a dumb idea?
We also have a water well but don’t think it has enough water pressure and I don’t want to run it dry.

[clanter]

@Equestrianette

. We have full city water pressure of 165 ft psi

are you sure of the 165 psi? normal city water lines are around 45 psi

Residential water pressure tends to range between 45 and 80 psi (pounds per square inch). Anything below 40 psi is considered low and anything below 30 psi is considered too low; the minimum pressure required by most codes is 20 psi. Pressures above 80 psi are too high.

https://www.plumbingsupply.com/resid…explained.html

But my husband seems to think these agricultural sprinklers exist for cheap,

when comparing to the city water bill to raise 5 acres of hay the sprinkler heads will appear cheap

recommendations are 3 inches every two weeks… that would be 407,373 gallons per application… do that for four months you end up with a little over 1.6 million gallons

[Equestrianette]

My house has a regulator that lowers the water pressure yes. But when this property was built as a hay farm they put no regulators on any of the external water sources because they knew the water demands of a farm. The previous owner used heavy duty water sprayers but I think she used hoses not underground PVC pipe.

[clanter]

apparently you are connected directly to a main if your water pressure is that high

Do you know the main’s size to see if the capacity is available?

My water bill scares me at times

[Equestrianette]

We will probably ask the water company but we have our own water gauge to assess pressures. I think we will keep the pipe 1/2 inch. We need some reduction in water pressure because the water guns can’t operate at pressures that high.

We we will be using this to supplement during dry periods so I’m not worried about the water bill.

[sherian]

I would think using the well would be the better idea (you should be able to look up the flow rate of the well and put a timer on the system so you don’t over draw) - city water I suspect would make for very expensive hay

[Equestrianette]

@sherian

I would think using the well would be the better idea (you should be able to look up the flow rate of the well and put a timer on the system so you don’t over draw) - city water I suspect would make for very expensive hay

I just don’t think the water pressure would support what we’re trying to do.

[Equestrianette]

If anyone has any recommendations for rain guns or heavy duty sprinklers water sprayers let me know.

[mvp]

@Equestrianette

If anyone has any recommendations for rain guns or heavy duty sprinklers water sprayers let me know.

I have just a tad of knowledge about this from an Extension presentation about irrigation.

I don’t think the large-radius water guns are cheap. You are inquiring about a commercial product, and one that has been around for a long time. I don’t think there’s some cheap secret hiding somewhere. I think the tend to cost what they cost and farmers factor that into their irrigation lay-out and costs.

I want to put in some irrigation as well and I know I’m all about the large-radius head or I won’t do it at all. I’ll call my extension agent on Monday and see if I can get some kind of answer about this.

[Equestrianette]

duplicate post oops

[Equestrianette]

@mvp

I have just a tad of knowledge about this from an Extension presentation about irrigation.

I don’t think the large-radius water guns are cheap. You are inquiring about a commercial product, and one that has been around for a long time. I don’t think there’s some cheap secret hiding somewhere. I think the tend to cost what they cost and farmers factor that into their irrigation lay-out and costs.

I want to put in some irrigation as well and I know I’m all about the large-radius head or I won’t do it at all. I’ll call my extension agent on Monday and see if I can get some kind of answer about this.

I have no qualms about paying for an agricultural duty sprayer.

Husbands though… :lol:

I will let him investigate to his hearts content but I think we will end up getting the heavy duty ones.

[mvp]

@Equestrianette

I have no qualms about paying for an agricultural duty sprayer.

Husbands though… :lol:

I will let him investigate to his hearts content but I think we will end up getting the heavy duty ones.

Hehe. I am like him… I have to research the snot out of anything before I make a move. Just let us do it. It’s how we roll.

ETA: IME, however, he should know two things:

1. You will be infinitely more pissed off by having to re-buy inadequate equipment and/or having the job become more labor-intensive because you skimped on the right part or pipe or pump for the job. Seriously-- when water systems are under powered, you end up working harder by moving sprinklers.

2. What lots of pros in the business say is true, is true. In other words, the truth “titrates out” of talking to lots of people. If the majority of those guys tell you what you need to do, it’s probably the best way to do it.

[jawa]

You may be able to go online and find used agricultural spray heads…FastLine is a magazine (may be online?) that sells used agricultural equipment. As far as well pressure and whether you have a deep enough or a well that has enough GPM to provide your watering needs, check with a couple of local well companies. I wasn’t satisfied with the pressure at the barn. We called the well driller and he had a guy come out and up the pressure on the pump. He said if that wasn’t enough, we could order a commercial switch that would allow us to have even more pressure. This might be something we would do in future as more buildings pull from the same well, but for now I’m satisfied.